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Former L.A. doctor sentenced to 7 years in federal prison for massive health insurance fraud scheme

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:59 GMT

A former doctor from West Hollywood was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for scheming to defraud private insurance companies and the Tricare health care program for U.S. military service members of hundreds of millions of dollars. Julian Omidi, who ran the 1-800-GET-THIN Lap-Band surgery business, fraudulently submitted nearly $120 million in claims related to his weight loss surgery business, according to the Department of Justice.  Omidi and his Beverly Hills-based company, Surgery Center Management, LLC, were found guilty in December 2021 of 28 counts of wire fraud and three counts of mail fraud. Omidi was also found guilty of two counts of making false statements relating to health care matters, one count of aggravated identity theft and two counts of money laundering, as well as a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Surgery Center Management, LLC, was also sentenced to five years of probation. The 54-year-old West Hollywood man is a former dermatolog...

CSULA Celebrates the Opening of the Rongxiang Xu Bioscience Innovation Center

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:59 GMT

Local leaders and luminaries gathered at California State University Los Angeles on Friday, April 14, to celebrate the opening of the Rongxiang Xu Bioscience Innovation Center. The center will be the new home of LA BioSpace, a facility that will serve as an incubator for scientists and entrepreneurs to bring their scientific discoveries to life with job-creating businesses, with the goal of bolstering the bioscience ecosystem in Los Angeles.(LA Weekly)The Center was made possible by a donation from National Rongxiang Xu Foundation — the largest in CSULA’s history, leading to the first named college at CSULA.Rongxiang Xu, who passed away in 2015, was a surgeon, scientist, humanitarian and inventor, whose innovations led to treatments for pain and outcomes for countless burn patients.Rongxiang Xu. Photo courtesy Cal State University Los Angeles Magazine“To heal patients and eliminate their suffering was my father’s greatest dream,” said Kevin Xu, a business leader and son ...

New details emerge of child’s Fremont freeway shooting death; DA defends charging decision

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:59 GMT

Alameda County’s district attorney defended her handling of a deadly, gang-related freeway shooting that claimed the life of a 5-year-old Santa Clara girl earlier this month, after her administration initially declined to file paperwork that could have prolonged the prison sentence of anyone found guilty in the April 8 killing.Standing outside the California Highway Patrol’s office in Hayward, Pamela Price said her administration worked “very diligently” and filed the “appropriate” charges in the killing of Eliyanah Crisostomo, who was shot in the heart on April 8 on Interstate 880 in Fremont. The case has shown a spotlight on the continued scourge of freeway shootings, while highlighting widespread — and contentious — changes being sought by Alameda County’s new district attorney to reform the region’s criminal justice system.Her statements Tuesday came a week and a half after Eliyanah’s death. The girl was shot as her family dr...

Mexico comes to Levi’s Stadium for Gold Cup match

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:59 GMT

The Mexican men’s national team will return to the Bay Area in July for a second match in less than a year, this time with different stakes.Mexico will play Qatar in a Gold Cup match July 2 at Levi’s Stadium in their final group stage match of the tournament. That 6 p.m. Group B game will be preceded by a game that will feature Group A team Jamaica, which will face an opponent who is yet to be determined via qualifying.Mexico is looking to buck an underwhelming run of form dating back to before November’s World Cup, including a 3-2 loss to Colombia in September at Levi’s Stadium. El Tri crashed out of Qatar in the group stage, losing to eventual champions Argentina, drawing with Poland and beating Saudi Arabia.That result ended manager Tata Martino’s run with the national team and showed the need for Mexico to move on from some of its established, aging stars to develop younger players.Two CONCACAF Nations League matches under new manager Diego Cocca yi...

What the huge Sierra snowpack means for Yosemite’s waterfalls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:59 GMT

The massive snowpack in the Sierra Nevada this year has done more than end California’s drought and boost the fortunes of Lake Tahoe ski resorts.It’s also having major impacts on the state’s most famous park, Yosemite.The park’s world-famous waterfalls are thundering now as billions of gallons of melted snow cascade 1,000 feet or more down sheer granite cliffs. But park officials say there is so much snow at higher elevations from the winter’s parade of atmospheric river storms that flooding in Yosemite Valley is likely between late April and early July, which could close the park at times.“All of the water is a huge change from the previous few years,” said Cory Goehring, lead naturalist for the Yosemite Conservancy, a San Francisco nonprofit group that runs outdoor programs in the park. “The meadows are wet and lush. The Merced River is rising. It’s raging. And the waterfalls? They are so loud, they sound like an airplane taking off ...

After 4-double game, SF Giants call up Brett Wisely to make first MLB start

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:59 GMT

MIAMI — It’s been quite the past 48 hours for Brett Wisely, who arrived on the red eye at about 6 a.m. and was on the lineup card in center field Tuesday night, making his first major-league start.Recalled before Tuesday’s game (Matt Beaty was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move), Wisely doubled four times in his last Triple-A game Sunday in Reno, shuttled back to Sacramento, drove to San Francisco and hopped on the only direct flight he could find to Miami.Fortunately, it was a bit easier journey for his Jacksonville-based family, who missed out on his major-league debut on Opening Day due to the Giants’ last-minute roster maneuvering and a communication mishap. Wisely, the youngest of seven siblings, had two of his six brothers, as well as his dad, Bob, in attendance.“I feel like I’m at home again,” Wisely said. “It was good seeing them this morning and seeing some familiar faces. I feel like I’m at home again. … I haven’t seen an...

Tech, biotech job cuts mount with fresh burst of Bay Area layoffs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:59 GMT

Tech and biotech job cuts have widened in the Bay Area with a fresh batch of layoffs being revealed by companies in the crucial engines of the region’s economy.Twitch, a tech company, disclosed plans to chop 153 jobs in San Francisco, according to a WARN notice on file with the state Employment Development Department.Emerald Cloud Lab, a biotech firm, is cutting 30 jobs in South San Francisco, the company’s WARN letter to the EDD shows.Tech companies, starting in July 2022, have revealed plans to eliminate more than 20,200 jobs in the Bay Area, according to this news organization’s analysis of hundreds of WARN notices on file with the EDD.Biotech companies since mid-2022 have disclosed plans to lay off more than 4,000 Bay Area jobs, the official state labor agency filings show.Some of the job cuts have already occurred while others have yet to take place.

Sega is buying Angry Birds game studio Rovio

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:59 GMT

By Hanna Ziady | CNNJapan’s Sega, the company behind Sonic the Hedgehog, is buying Rovio Entertainment in a cash deal that values the creator of Angry Birds at €706 million ($774 million).The Finnish video game developer’s board has unanimously backed the takeover offer, which is also already supported by shareholders owning 49.1% of the company’s stock, Rovio said in a statement Monday.The company’s shares surged 18% to €9.16 ($10.05) per share in Helsinki. Sega Sammy Holdings has offered €9.25 ($10.15) per share, representing a 19% premium to Rovio’s closing price on Friday.The stock has gained more than 50% this year amid speculation of a deal after Israel-based Playtika Holdings, a mobile game company, offered to buy Rovio in January.The company’s prime asset, Angry Birds, which launched in 2009, became the first mobile game series to reach 1 billion downloads, according to Guinness World Records.The story-based puzzle video game has players l...

San Jose’s Viva Calle should have clear sailing this weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:59 GMT

Planning out an event like Viva CalleSJ isn’t easy. You have the usual challenge of closing miles of streets to vehicles, getting the word out to businesses and residents along the route, and organizing entertainment. And, then, of course, there are always those little details you might miss or can’t plan for.But everything’s looking good so far for this Sunday’s edition, “Willow to Roses,” which invites walkers, cyclists and skaters to take over the streets and explore a route that connects San Jose’s Municipal Rose Garden, Willow Glen and San Jose State University. After months of unusually strong rain and windstorms, the forecast calls for sunshine and temperatures in the mid-70s.There will be “activity hubs” at each endpoint, featuring DJs, live bands, folklorico dancers, food trucks, bike repair clinics and even the San Jose State Marching Band. It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and you can get more information at www.vivacall...

Sonoma County officially ends local drought emergency

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:59 GMT

(KRON) -- The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to end the local drought emergency it declared two years ago. Wet winter storms dropped nearly three feet of rain on Santa Rosa. Two main reservoirs that supply Sonoma County exceeded their normal storage capacity for the first time since 2019.Combined, Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino held 372,000 acre-feet of water when winter ended March 20, the most ever going into the dry season. An acre-foot is equal to approximately 326,000 gallons, or enough to meet the annual indoor and outdoor needs of three average households in Sonoma County. Santa Rosa's primary source of water is from the Russian River.Even after lifting the local emergency, county leaders are still strongly encouraging the public to continue conserving water. This is because California's weather patterns are becoming increasingly volatile as a result of climate change. 126 inches of snow recorded in Sierra Nevada mountains "We’ve made it throug...